Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will renew their famed La Liga rivalry, at the Old Trafford friendly on Tuesday .
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are set to resume their La Liga rivalry on the international stage, as Portugal clash with Argentina in a high profile friendly, at Old Trafford on Tuesday. The contest would supposedly give either player the bragging rights, ahead of a hectic domestic season.
Incidentally, Old Trafford will rekindle sweet memories for Ronaldo, as the Real Madrid forward had a dream seven-year run at Manchester United, as he earned innumerable laurels, during the early part of his stellar career.
Though both teams look strong enough on paper, to edge out each other, still the game will be overshadowed by the Ronaldo-Messi showdown, which interestingly has also extended to the upcoming Ballon d'Or awards, which has both players in the front runners list.
Recent form for both sides has been mixed to say the least, as Argentina saw off Croatia 2-0, in their last competitive friendly, whereas Portugal had to labour to a 1-0 win against a weak Armenia side, in the Euro 2016 qualifiers.
Argentina definitely will look to the recent 7-0 thrashing of Hong Kong for inspiration, whereas the 2-0 defeat against Brazil in Beijing, will be a bad memory for Gerardo Martino's side.
Even Fernando Santos' Portuguese have not had a smooth ride in recent international matches, as a 2-1 friendly defeat against France, and a shock 1-0 reversal against Albania, in a Euro 2016 qualifier, has done nothing to boost their morale.
Ronaldo has been at the forefront of things for Santos' side, as the Madrid forward recently scored winners against Armenia and Denmark, and also became the country's highest goalscorer in European Championship history.
Messi too has put on his scoring boots, as the dimunitve forward scored the winning penalty against Croatia, and is expected to vow the Old Trafford crowd with his silken skills.
Carlos Tevez, Angel di Maria and Sergio Aguero are the big names expected to start for Argentina, whereas Ricardo Quaresma, Fabio Coentrao and Nani, may play pivotal roles for Portugal.
The match is expected to be a sellout by organisers, as Argentina may use it as a launch pad for their Copa America ambitions, whereas Portugal will look to iron out their defensive lapses, and would try to build on a positive momentum, ahead of a clutch of crucial Euro 2016 qualifying matches.
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